A 76-year-old dog owner from Los Angeles has sustained critical injuries after he was attacked by two pit bulls which also killed the victim’s Pomeranian.

Valentin Herrera was walking his five-year-old Pomeranian named Dodger along Lincoln Park Avenue in the Lincoln Heights section of LA at around 5.20pm Thursday when authorities say a pair of male pit bulls lunged at the small pooch and tore it apart.

At the time of the attack, Dodger was walking off the leash about 75 feet ahead of its owner.

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Vicious attack: Valentin Herrera, 76, (seen after the attack being taken to hospital) suffered serious injuries and had his five-year-old Pomeranian, Dodger, killed in a brutal pit bull attack in Los Angeles

Herrera, seen left, who is diabetic and has dementia, has undergone surgery and is expected to survive. His dog Dodger is pictured right

These two male pit bulls were said to have ripped Dodger apart Thursday evening

When Herrera rushed to his dog's aid, the pit bulls knocked the man to the ground and proceeded to bite him, leaving the victim with severe injuries.

Neighbor Frank Carrasco said he witnessed the ferocious attack on Dodger and its owner.

‘I saw these two pit bulls pulling something apart,’ he tells KTLA. ‘I thought it was a piece of couch.’

According to Herrera’s grandson, Christian Flores, the 76-year-old man, who suffers from diabetes and dementia, and who had survived a heart attack in November, sustained wounds to his arm and head, reported CBS LA.

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Dodger's corpse is seen lying on the ground in this screenshot, which has been obscured due to the graphic nature of the image

A neighbor took this photo of Herrera sprawled on the sidewalk after the dog attack, with blood visible on his injured left wrist

Witnesses claimed the owner of the pit bulls did nothing to help the critically injured victim, seen above being loaded into the back of an ambulance

Some witnesses have suggested that the pit bulls' owner was nearby but did not try to help Herrera. Eventually, he did come out of his house and was able to drag both animals away from the injured dog owner.

According to the witness Frank Carrasco, the owner of the pit bulls offered no apology to the victim and made no attempt to administer aid as the 76-year-old was sprawled on the ground, bleeding from his wounds.

Officers with the Los Angeles Animal Services Department were called to the scene and removed both pit bulls, described as males between ages of 2 and 3. The dogs will spend at least 10 days in quarantine pending a hearing to decide their fate.

Residents in the Lincoln Heights neighborhood said the two dogs have been known to menace students walking to and from a nearby high school.

Their owner has been interviewed by officials but has not been charged with any crime in connection to the mauling.